Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich final score, result, stats, lineups as Joselu's last-gasp double puts Ancelotti's men into Champions League final

Joselu was Real Madrid’s unlikely hero as the 14-time winners produced another Champions League comeback for the ages to sink Bayern Munich 2-1 and reach next month’s final with a 4-3 aggregate triumph.

More Bundesliga opposition lies in wait in the form of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern were on the cusp of a re-run of the 2013 final at Wembley thanks to a fabulous maiden Champions League goal from Alphonso Davies.

The Canada international, who was on for the injured Serge Gnabry, collected Harry Kane’s raking pass and cut inside to slam an unstoppable shot past Andriy Lunin.

But later changes from Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel, namely removing Kane and Jamal Musiala to see out their slender advantage, invited a flagging Madrid on and proved fatal.

REAL MADRID TURN IT AROUND AT THE DEATH 😱 pic.twitter.com/gwWLFaknOC

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 8, 2024

Within a team of superstars, it was veteran striker Joselu — a 34-year-old, German-born nomad of European football — who made the difference. He equalised with two minutes of normal time remaining when the otherwise impeccable Manuel Neuer spilt Vinicius Junior’s shot.

Bayern’s heads had not cleared and they were all over the place from a subsequent set-piece as Joselu turned home Antonio Rudiger’s cutback. The offside flag went up, VAR intervened and the goal stood. Bedlam and another victory for the club who often feel like they do not know how to lose in this competition.

There was still time for more drama when, deep into stoppage time, Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt lashed the ball into the net. The whistle had gone because the offside flag was up against Noussair Mazraoui, a call that goes against VAR protocol and one on which initial replays were inconclusive.

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich fulltime

Lineups:

Real Madrid  (4-3-1-2 right to left): 13. Andriy Lunin (GK) — 2. Dani Carvajal, 6. Nacho, 22. Antonio Rudiger, 23. Ferland Mendy — 15. Federico Valverde (14. Joselu), 8. Toni Kroos (10. Luka Modric), 18. Aurelien Tchouameni (12. Eduardo Camavinga)  — 5. Jude Bellingham — 11. Rodrygo (21. Brahim Diaz), 7. Vinicius Junior.

Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1 right to left): 1. Manuel Neuer (GK) — 6. Joshua Kimmich, 4. Matthijs De Ligt, 15. Eric Dier, 40. Noussair Mazraoui — 45. Aleksandar Pavlovic, 27. Konrad Laimer— 10. Leroy Sane (3. Kim Min-jae), 42. Jamal Musiala (25. Thomas Muller), 7. Serge Gnabry (19. Alphonso Davies) — 9. Harry Kane (13. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting).

MORE: Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich — the most repeated rivalry in Champions League history

Joselu fairytale and Vinicius brilliance gives Madrid Kylian Mbappe dilemma

The club of Alfredo Di Stefano, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo and all the other galacticos are into another Champions League final thanks to a man who counts Hoffenheim, Hannover, Stoke City and Alaves among 10 career clubs. 

When it became clean Kylian Mbappe was not coming to Madrid last year, Carlo Ancelotti needed another body in attack. At the other end of the glamour scale, a loan deal was agreed for a player enjoying a lovely autumn to his career. Joselu signed for Madrid in 2009 after coming through the ranks at Celta Vigo, before moving to Germany and England with modest returns.

His career belatedly took off last season when he scored 16 LaLiga goals for a relegated Espanyol, performances that won international honours with Spain. Joselu has five goals in 10 caps but, save for a winner in the final of Euro 2024, nothing will ever top what he achieved here and the emotional outpouring he prompted on a night to stand alongside Madrid’s very best in the competition they think of as their own.

REAL MADRID ALWAYS FIND A WAY 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ZynoERYRV4

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 8, 2024

Vinicius was inevitably involved in the equaliser. The Brazil winger kept Madrid in the tie with both their goals in Munich and he produced another bravura display, reducing the great Joshua Kimmich to a twisted mess at right-back. Everything Madrid did of consequence came through their left winger. This is not the most gifted team the Santiago Bernabeu has seen but Ancelotti has them shrewdly playing to their strengths and finding what the moment requires.

Which brings us back to Mbappe and his apparently imminent arrival. No one is saying he couldn’t replace Joselu despite this fairytale outing, but he would occupy a lot of the areas where Vinicius thrives. Compare and contrast their two semifinal performances. Mbappe could not find a way through as Paris Saint-Germain failed to score over 180 minutes against Dortmund. Madrid have a special team spirit, bit-part players who feel a part of something and one of the very best attackers in the world in Vinicius. They should think very carefully about their next galactico purchase.

Why did Thomas Tuchel substitute Harry Kane?

As Joselu showed, bringing on the failed Stoke City striker wasn’t exactly a bad idea tonight. But while Joselu’s exploits will go down in folklore, Tuchel’s decision to replace Kane with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting might stand as the most galling moment in Bayern’s season of infamy.

Kane go the assist for Davies’ goal and had just driven into the side netting following wonderful work from Musiala, who came off for the veteran Thomas Muller. Leroy Sane, who admittedly didn’t have his best night, was also back in the sheds. It beckoned a Madrid team, who were starting to look ragged, into one last, glorious assault. 

Tuchel will leave Bayern at the end of the season, assuming the club’s farce of a managerial search reaches a normal conclusion. This Champions League run has offered a reminder of what a fine tactician the former Chelsea boss is. However, his heavy notes of caution left Bayern off-key and vulnerable, perhaps indicating why his employers were happy to sever ties in the first place.

PHONZIEEEEE OMG 🚀

ALPHONSO DAVIES SCORES HIS FIRST-EVER #UCL GOAL 🇨🇦💥 pic.twitter.com/1qyFsRt6eA

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 8, 2024

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich stats

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime: Just like they did against Manchester City on this ground two years ago, Real Madrid have found two goals at the death when they were on the brink of elimination. They won the trophy that year too. Only a fool would bet against European Cup No. 15 landing in their lap. Jude Bellingham and his teammates are wearing "A POR LA 15" shirts. Bayern Munich's players are somewhere between angry and crestfallen. They were almost there and will finish the season without a trophy. Who will they want to win out of Madrid and Dortmund? Maybe plan a day out on June 1. Or come back and follow along with us on The Sporting News! Thanks for being with us.

90th minute+14: Vinicius wins a throw-in deep in Bayern territory and celebrates it like a goal.

90th minute+13: De Ligt lashes the ball into the net. The flag has gone up. No goal. Tuchel is fuming at the linesman. One of the Bayern subs has been booked. That looked tight and the linesman broke from protocol by sticking his flag up early, like in the pre VAR days. Oohhh, errrr...

90th minute+7: Tempers fraying on the touchline. Tuchel is booked. Bayern struggling for any sort of rhythm and Mazraoui slices a wild shot way off target.

90th minute+1:GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!Joselu!!!!!!!

The goal stands! Pandamonium inside the Bernabeu, Madrid's bench and substitutes stream onto the pitch. Nine minutes of stoppage time have been signalled and there'll be more.

90th minute: Joselu has it in the net again but the flag is up for offside...

88th minute: GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!Joselu!!!!!!!

It's a howler from Neuer, who has been superb. First it's a hot-headed throw out from the Bayern goalkeeper. It allows Madrid to come forward and find Vinicius. His shot is pretty tired but it bounces up at Neuer, who can't gather and Joselu is gleefully on hand to convert.

86th minute: More subs for Bayern as Tuchel takes of Musiala and Kane to send on Muller and Choupo-Moting. If this goes to extra time, the visitors will not be in great shape.

83rd minute: Rudiger lofts a lovely ball into the box but Vinicius can't control his finish on the half-volley. It would have been a fine finish had he pulled it off but another fine chance goes begging for Carlo Ancelotti's men.

82nd minute: Kim, who was brought on to shore up the Bayern defence, heads a corner against the bar at the other end before Pavlovic is penalised for a foul on Lunin.

76th minute: Oh, Harry Kane! It's on his weaker foot but after fine work from Musiala, the England captain should do better than driving into the side netting. Do you get away with doing that sort of thing against this team in the ground?

73rd minute: VAR CHECK: NO GOAL!

Nacho shoved Kimmich in the face, who fell over dramatically. Even so, there was no way Nacho's goal, via a huge deflection off De Ligt, could be allowed to stand.

71st minute: Real Madrid have the ball in the net!!! It's Nacho, but Kimmich is down and this will be checked.

68th minute: GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!! Alphonso Davies!!!!!

Bayern have the lead against the run of play and Davies has scored a stunning first Champions League goal. Kane lofted a pass to the Canada star out on the left in plenty of room, enough room to cut inside and lash a magnificent strike beyond Lunin and into the far corner.

66th minute: Bayern need a good attack of their own and here's one, Musiala twists into space and Lunin pushes his shot over. Kimmich hits the corner straight out for a goal kick. I think Vinicius has made him dizzy.

65th minute: Kimmich goes to ground and thwarts Vinicius... with a handball. Someone please help him out there! Neuer blunders into traffic to try to deal with the free-kick but Bayern clear it to the extent Carvajal bangs a shot off target from way downtown - an outcome they'd have happily signed for.

60th minute: Sane wastes a four-on-four opportunity, which is bad even before you consider all the danger is coming back down his flank. Vinicius comes inside once more and Neuer saves magnificently. That's the best of the bunch from the Bayern goalkeeper, how thrusts out an arm to push Vinicius's blistering strike over.

59th minute: Rodrygo catches it sweetly, Neuer scampers across his line to make another fine save.

58th minute: Kroos pops a lovely pass in to Bellingham, who shimmies away from Laimer until the Austria midfielder brings him down. Free-kick to Madrid in a pretty handy position.

55th minute: Rodrygo again! De Ligt gets out to help out with Vinicius and it does no good at all. This time he crosses early and Rodrygo prods wide of the far post.

54th minute: Raking ball from De Ligt that Nacho misjudges. Kane comes barrelling through, barges Mendy to the floor and has his shot saved by Lunin at the near post. The tension ratchets up a notch. With the roof closed, it's got nowhere to go.

52nd minute: Vinicius takes Kimmich to pieces again. Tuchel needs to do something about that before the Brazil star finds the decisive pass. He can't on this occasion. 

47th minute: Bayern show their teeth at the other end. Kane drops in and gets Davies on the run. He goes down the outside and Carvajal deflects his shot behind.

46th minute: Early warning from Madrid as Vinicius skips past Kimmich far too easily. Valverde was poised to convert his cutback but Dier made an excellent challenge.

2nd Half

We're back. Hold onto your hats!

Halftime

Lovely, nimble footwork by Musiala, Bayern need to get him more involved after the break. Laimer has a good opportunity to play in Kane but overhits the pass. The first half ends as we started. All square. 45 minutes to sort this one out, plus extra time and penalties if needed. Who wants it?

44th minute: Mazraoui gets forward to join the Bayern attack, tries and shot and Lunin gathers.

39th minute: Neuer denies Rodrygo again! Vinicius was still out on the left from the previous free-kick and swung in a lovely low cross. Rodrygo got a touch at the near post and Neuer showed fabulous reactions to touch it behind.

38th minute: De Ligt up to clear a set piece. Bayern have hardly been under the pump but getting to halftime on terms would feel big.

29th minute: Screaming effort on the volley from Kane! The England captain caught that sweetly on the edge of the box and it's just wide. Lunin tips it behind for a corner, which is taken by Kimmich and gathered by the Real Madrid goalkeeper.

28th minute: Davies replaces Gnabry. Given Bayern's game plan looks so dependent upon pace out wide, he makes sense as a replacement ahead of Thomas Muller. For fans of narrative, the Canada star has been heavily linked with Real Madrid...

26th minute: Problems for Gnabry, who is only just back from a hamstring injury. He's down and his race might be run here.

23rd minute: Rodrygo tears away from a sprawling Mazraoui. His ball to Vinicius has a bit too much sauce on it and his fellow Brazilian can't bring it under his spell. Another what-might-have-been for tonight's end-product conversation.

16th minute: Sane in behind Madrid but tries an absurd scooped cross with his left foot. We've seen both teams can hurt one another during the opening exchanges. Who can find their clinical touch first?

15th minute: Vinicius latches on to a Bellingham pass and shoots from the edge of the area. That's fairly comfortably wide.

13th minute: Vinicius hits the post and Neuer makes an incredible save! Bayern go to sleep at the back and Vinicius drives against the foot of the post. The ball ricochets back out to Rodrygo and this is a magnificent reaction stop at close quarters by Neuer. Huge let-off for the Bundesliga giants.

7th minute: Now an opening at the other end! Gorgeous play through midfield by Bayern, Pavlovic to Laimer to Musiala. He sends Gnabry darting into the box but the winger is caught in two minds between a shot or a cross for Kane and lands horribly in no-man's land.

6th minute: Carvajal zips a lovely ball across the six-yard box, where  a sprawling Rodrygo just can't make the decisive touch. Now Bellingham goes down under a clumsy effort from Kimmich. He's told to get up.

5th minute: Tchouameni is caught on the ball in midfield and Bayern's winger are off. Kane looks for Sane and it needs a fabulous interception from Kroos.

4th minute: Dier takes a short free-kick to Kimmich. Bayern play it out from very deep, Kane comes into midfield and the pass is overhit. There's a definite plan there though.

2nd minute: Laimer lofts a pass towards Sane. Rudiger has his arm around his Germany teammate but the referee is not interested in Sane's protests.

1st minute: Bayern deal with the corner. Madrid are looking to press them high.

Kickoff

Bayern get us underway... and cough up possession to Vinicius straight away. Off he goes down the left, wins a corner off Kimmich and whips up the fans behind the goal.

5 mins before kickoff: Here come the teams. Out into this stunningly revamped Santiago Bernabeu arena, which feels more like a high-end NFL stadium nowadays. There's the famous competition anthem. We're ready to go.

20 mins before kickoff: Thibaut Courtois made his first appearance of the season between the posts for Real Madrid at the weekend, keeping a clean sheet against Cadiz following his cruciate ligament tear. But Carlo Ancelotti stuck to his word and stuck with Andriy Lunin for tonight's game. The Ukrainian goalkeeper has emerged from his status as a long-time understudy and loanee to become an unlikely hero of Madrid's campaign. His saves from Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic set up Madrid's penalty shootout triumph over holders Manchester City in the quarters.

40 mins before kickoff: A couple of big calls in there from Thomas Tuchel, but why not? An against-the-odds winner with Chelsea in this competition in 2020/21. Tuchel has contested 11 semifinals in his coaching career and has progressed to the final on every occasion.

De Ligt played well in tandem with January arrival Dier before injury struck. Their 11 starts alongside one anothe at centre-back for Bayern have yielded nine wins, one draw and one defeat.

1 hr 5 mins before kickoff: Here's the Bayern team. Eric Dier has made it after suffering a head injury at the weekend. The Englishman is partnered at centre-back by the returning Mathijis de Ligt as Kim Min-jae drops to the bench following his first-leg ordeal. Leon Goretzka is also benched, with Aleksandar Pavlovic partnering Konrad Laimer in midfield.

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐗𝐈 🆚 @realmadriden ✨ #packmas #UCL #RMAFCB pic.twitter.com/UcSSyY9wYh

— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) May 8, 2024

1 hr 45 mins before kickoff: As tradition dictates, here's your Carlo Ancelotti Champions League flex early team sheet.

📋✅ Our starting 𝗫𝗜!
🆚 @FCBayernEN #UCL pic.twitter.com/rnjZ7kCYNI

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 8, 2024

2 hours before kickoff: Bayern might have fairly humiliatingly surrendered the Bundesliga for the first time in more than a decade this season, but none of the blame can be laid at Harry Kane's door. The England captain has been magnificent in his debut season in Bavaria, racking up an incredible 44 goals in 44 appearances. His eighth of the Champions League campaign came in last week's first leg. If he adds to his tally again, Kane will be within touching distance of the major honour to crown an exemplary career.

2 hr 30 mins before kickoff: So, here we are then. Will Real Madrid get a shot at title number 15 to go with their 36th LaLiga crown secured at the weekend? Or will Bayern Munich set up a Klassiker rematch against Borussia Dortmund, back at Wembley where they met in the 2013 final? Bayern won 2-1 on that occasion, with Arjen Robben netting a late winner after Ikay Gundogan's penalty cancelled out Mario Mandzukic's opener.

3 hours before kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich. The teams played out a gripping 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena last week. Who will join Borussia Dortmund in next month's final at Wembley?

🤍 The Bernabéu will roar tonight! 🤍#UCL pic.twitter.com/ti1ASIJeuk

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 8, 2024

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich kick off time

This Champions League clash takes place at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain and kicks off on Wednesday, May 8 at 9:00 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich lineups, team news

Dani Carvajal returns from suspension and slots in at right-back. Club captain Nacho was selected alongside Antonio Rudiger in central defence for the first leg and keeps his spot, with Aurelien Tchouameni again selected in midfield after overcoming a knock sustained in training.

David Alaba remains sidelined and fellow long-term injury victim Thibaut Courtois has only returned to the bench on account of Andriy Lunin taking his chance between the posts.

Real Madrid (4-3-1-2 right to left): Lunin (GK) — Carvajal, Nacho, Rudiger, Mendy — Valverde, Kroos, Tchouameni  — Bellingham — Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.

Real Madrid subs (12): Courtois (GK), Kepa (GK), Militao, Modric, Camavinga, Joselu, Lucas, Ceballos, Fran Garcia, Brahim, Guler.

Eric Dier impressed at centre-back during the first leg and Raphael Guerreiro was introduced as a halftime substitute. However, both men suffered injuries during the 3-1 defeat to Stuttgart at the weekend.

Dier trained on Monday with a plaster on his head after suffering a nasty gash and Tuchel be delighted to have the England international available, especially in light of Kim Min-jae's struggles against Madrid last week. Matthijs de Ligt returns in place of the South Korea star, who drops to the bench alongside Leon Goretzka and Thomas Muller. Aleksandar Pavlovic and Serge Gnabry are the beneficiaries of those calls.

Kingsley Coman, Bouna Sarr and Sacha Boey all remain on the sidelines.

Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1 right to left): Neuer (GK) — Kimmich, De Ligt, Dier, Mazraoui — Pavlovic, Laimer— Sane, Musiala, Gnabry — Kane.

Bayern Munich subs (12): Peretz (GK), Ulreich (GK), Upamecano, Kim, Goretzka, Choupo-Moting, Zaragoza, Davies, Muller, Tel.

STREAM: UEFA Champions League action LIVE on Paramount+ in the US

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch this Champions League match across selected areas of the world's major regions:

Paramount

STREAM EVERY UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCH LIVE ON PARAMOUNT+

Try it FREE!

USA: Champions League matches are available to stream on Paramount+ (English). New users can currently get a FREE seven-day trial. For this game there will be additional broadcast options on TUDN and CBS with Fubo also streaming all the action from Munich.

ViX an Univision is the place to go for Spanish subscribers.

Canada: Every Champions League game streams live on DAZN.

UK: This match will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 and streamed on discovery+. Every UEFA Champions League and Europa League match this season is available on TNT Sports for only £30.99 / month.

India: JioTV and Sony LIV are the live streaming options for this game.

Australia: Stan Sport has the rights to Champions League games.

If Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favourite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.

WATCH FROM ANYWHERE: Sign up for NordVPN (30-day moneyback guarantee)